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Friday, April 1, 2016

april combines two sections of the gypsy wife quilt, yet it's still a small-ish month of making. section three is only 5 blocks and a very few short sections of strips. section four is only 2 blocks, period! i almost wonder why it's designated a section unto its self. the only explanation i can see is because of how it fits in with the rest of the quilt. studying the final assembly diagram, i can see that no matter how cleverly we may have avoided partial seams before, there is going to be no getting around them in the end. never fear, megan has shown us how really un-intimidating and doable partial seams are! she gave me the courage to try. really, it can be done. see her thoughts for attaching these sections to the larger quilt here.

so let's talk about this month's specifics.

section three components

all measurements are cut/unfinished, not finished

blocks

5.5” sq in sq (3.5”), bordered A9/pg 22, pg 23

4.5 sq in sq, XX/pg 22

10.5” sq in sq w/ courthouse steps A13/pg 23-24

9.5” colour wheel A/pg 5

strips

28 – 9.5”, 8.5”

29-33 – 3.5”

34-37 – 3.5”, 1.5”

section four components

8.5” courthouse steps U/pg 20

8.5” hst block L/pg 16

the 5.5" bordered sq in sq block is very straightforward. make a 3.5" sq in sq, and add a border. you should be starting to feel familiar with the sq in sq blocks by now. section three incorporates the block in two sizes, as this bordered block starts with the 3.5", and there is also a 4.5" unbordered sq in sq. (i shared an alternate construction method and measurements for the 3.5" and 4.5" blocks already for those who don't prefer the stitch and flip method in the pattern.)

the 10.5" sq in sq has courthouse steps around the central square and a border on the outside. ms. kingwell seems to refer to the added borders on squares inside the blocks as "courthouse steps". that's the difference between the sq in sq blocks and the sq in sq with courthouse steps, in case you couldn't tell. (which i'm sure you smarty pants already could.)

colour wheel is a fun block. it's the very first one i ever made for this quilt, so mine's been hanging around here for quite some time. that elephant in the middle and the colors i chose for this block have really guided my choices for the entire quilt as i have proceeded. megan shared her process and some snags to look out for on her post this month.

there are two courthouse step blocks this month: 8.5" for section four and 10.5" for section three (which i still haven't done). this is very similar to a log cabin block only the layers are built symmetrically in pairs around the central piece rather than singly in a winding/spiraling fashion. this block is just a lot of strip cutting and sewing. press all your seams as you go and watch that scant 1/4" seam.

section four's second block is the hst block, a simple composition of 16 - 2.5" hsts in a 4x4 grid layout. i talked a little bit about making my block here, as well as the project it inspired.

there you have it, now go get sections three and four!
happy gypsy-ing, friends.

welcome!

i'm a homeschooling mother of 7 who gave up doing laundry so she could find time to sew. mostly i quilt when at the machine. after 8 years of sewing, with over 30 quilts under my belt, i'd call myself an intermediate quilter. my kids are encouraged to create, too, and their projects will appear here from time to time. but mostly this is my space to dream, scheme, and share the ups and downs of making my quilts.

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i love the diversity of the quilting, sewing, and crafting community the world over. modern, traditional, contemporary, conservative, eclectic - whatever! there's something to appreciate everywhere. all opinions expressed on this blog are, as far as i'm aware, purely my own. i don't expect you to like my fabric picks, make my projects, or join my church. (although if you want to, high five!) however, i do ask you to respect that this is my space to share my subjective views and my sewing attempts. you can be you, i'll be me, and we can still be friends. thank you for your visit and any kind words you may leave me.